Recently, a report was released concerning nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the state of New York. The report indicated that there was a huge lack of oversight when it came to how well these homes were being monitored by industry watchdogs.
At first glance, this is quite concerning. No one wants their older loved one to reside in a home that doesn’t have standards of quality that are being kept. No one wants to put someone that they care about in a situation where something less than the very best is going to occur.
But care oversight is a bit more complex than what this report seems to acknowledge. The standard of whether a facility was adequately being monitored was that a representative from the state’s senior care ombudsman program visited the home or not. And while this is certainly important, the ombudsman is not always required to make a visit, unless an adequate complaint or concern has been raised about a home. Additionally, there is no requirement in place for a minimum number of visits that need to be made.
The ombudsman program is incredibly helpful. This program is present in most states throughout the country, including California. It’s part of the California Department of Aging. This program provides families and those receiving senior care with a third party that concerns about the quality of care that’s being given can be expressed. It provides anonymous help for individuals that need it and supports advocacy for seniors. It’s a vital component of the health of the care industry, but it’s not the only safety measure out there.
Frankly, the care industry has grown so rapidly over the last ten years that perfect oversight is impossible. There are just too many services, agencies, and providers for government or independent oversight to be as effective as we would like it to be. The systems to adequately monitor an industry of this size–one that is going to continue growing at a rapid pace–aren’t yet in place.
Independent checks and balances are important within any care organization. Here at Paradise In-Home Care, that takes the shape of ongoing training for our employees, extensive background checks before hire, bonded and insured caregivers, and constant check-ins with staff members, just to name some of the highlights. We do our very best to make sure that we are hiring the best people out there to help your family, and then providing them with the tools that they need to continue to provide high quality care to the people that they work with.
If you have questions about how we protect the people that we work with, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We pride ourselves in the quality of care that we give. One of our professional caregivers would be happy to talk about how we do this, and any other senior care questions you might have, during a completely free session with you. Care is what we do, and we want to ensure that those we serve are free of worry when it comes to the quality that they will receive.
Leave a Reply